Aircraft



July 5' J. E. McDEVlTT 2,380,535

AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 27, 1941 3 Sheecs-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

EmesE. M Devifl:

BY 9am. cm W Y ATTORNEYS July 31, 1945- J. E. MCDEVITT 2,380,535

AIRCRAFT Filed 001;. 27, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet IHIIIIIWIIHIIIIHI/ INVENTOR.

Junesf. MD f ATTORNEYS Jul 31, 1945.

J. E. M DEVITT AIRCRAFT s Sheets-Sheet 3 W 7 Filed Oct. 2'7, 1941 Wm VHL Patented July 31,1945 I g UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcl-z James E. W, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application October 27, 1941, still] N- 116,717

' 4 Chill- (Cl- 244-42) I ject the provision of a novel and improved formof aircraft which is capable of vertical ascent and from the rearwardly directed air streams, whereby the craft is restrained from forward movement during ascent and descent.

The present invention is designed to eliminate one of the factors limiting the practical'size of aircraft of the heavier-than-air type. which factor is the length of run required for take-oil and descent. Present-day planes of large capacity require a relatively long runway, and hence a large air field, for taking of! and landing, for the rea= son that the lift exerted on the plane derives from the forward motion of the plane. and a relatively long distance is required to accelerate and decelerate the planes of large size. Furthermore, due to the inertia of-such planes in forward modescent. may be constructed in very large sizes 5 tion, the dan ers. encountered in takin 03 and and yet may take oil and land in safety on relalanding are considerably increased 88 the Size tively small air fields, has a greatly enlarged carand weigh f t e P n increases d for thes rying capacity, and which eliminates the use of reasons it appears, at present, to be entirely imruddersailerons and elevators, such as are empractical to operate. from existing air fields, ployed in connection with aeroplanes of standplanes in excess or about 100 tons gr s w i htard, de ign. On the other hand. inaccordance with the pres- A further object of the present invention is ent invention, it iscontemplated to achieve vertithe provision of an aircraft of the class described. 031 takewf! and asce t by blowing air at a very in which the body of the craft itself takes the h velocity over a pl r y f l n l general form of a lifting airfoil, such as the wing t e a l treams having a velocity much greater of a standard plane, there being no wings as than any take-off speed f aconventiona p ne distinguished from the main body of the craft, wh h w l be r ctiw. Thus, while it is danand in which the several power plants are located serous to operate a c n ntional plane which within the body of the craft, the propellers behas take-Off r ndi g speed in excess of ing disposed in tunnels or longitudinal passages about 100 i es p r hour, it is possible, accordin extending through the body of'the craft where- P the Present ti n, to exert upon the liftby, in forward motion, the lifting eflect of the a rf f n ircr ft a degree of lift correairfoil-shaped body is unhampered by the turspending to n. air sp f 300 miles p r our o bulence resulting from externally placed power B By 80 oi and at the same time counplants and propellers. 2o r alancina the forward thrust thus created A further obj t 1 th provision of an tupon the craft, vertical ascent and descent may craft of the class described. capable of vertical be Obtainede in forc s may be enascent and descent, in vwhich the lifting elements minced, r h r re, by providing adjustable airare distributed in such a way that the lifting foils which y be set at h ptimum angle of force predominate at th or more spaced attack, whereas in the conventional plane, wherepoints, whereby the stresses exerted upon the in the lifting airfoil is the-wing Of the plane and mechanical structure of the craft are so disis immovably attachedto the fuselage. the n le t ib t as t permit, of a lighter typ of of attack must be coordinated with a variety of strilotionthan would otherwise be the case. factors er than the optim c or t ke- A further object is the provision, in an aircraft OE and landing. of th class -m of a plurality of spaced It should further benoted that in conventional passages or tunnels extendingthrollgh the body Planes, the lifting effect of e w es is hamof the craft, lifting airfoils disposed rearwardiy bored by the turbulence s ltin from the exand in alignment with certain of said tunnels, ternal disposition of the power plants and promeans in said latter tunnels for prop lli 0 pellers. whereas, in accordance with the present streams of air rearwardly over said lifting air invention, the Streams P g v rhe1iftfoils to create the lift necessary for vertical mg 51110118 are undisturbed by Such Obstructions ascent, and m an i th of said tunnels for and, in forward flight, the entire upper surface of counterbalancing th forward thrust resulting the craft is availableas alifting airfoil, the flow of air thereover, due to forward motion, being in nowlse disturbed since the power plants and propellers are disposed within the body of the craft.

These and numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan view of an aircraft constructlon in accordance with the present invention;'

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of said aircraft;

preferably straight. :taper outwardly toward .the leading edge, the

efficient of lift, in the well-known manner.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section through said aircraft illustrating the disposition of the tunnels, lifting airfoils and propelling means;

Figure 4 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure 8; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the aircraft; and

Figure 8 is a vertical section on line 86 of Figure 8.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference is made to the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive language is employed. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended and that various changes and alterations are contemplated .such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

. Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 5, it will :be seen that the body ill of the aircraft is genorally-of the shape of a lifting airfoil, such as the wing .of arstandard plane, having a flat underass sss ing the direction of rotation of the propellers in said tunnels. If desired, the direction of rotation may be reversed, instead of reversing the pitch of the propellers.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that three gyro-stabilizers 2a are employed, one in each lateral tip, l5, is of the body, and one disposed on surface .H .and a convex upper surface 12. The 1 leading edge =l-8 is of arcuate form and is somewhat longer than the trailing edge M, which is The sides of the body l0 forward part of the body extending sufficiently beyond the sides thereof to provide the lateral tip portions l5 and [6. A pilot room and passage compartments are provided adjacent the leading edge of the body I0, while considerable carg space is available rearwardly thereof.

Since it is intended that aircraft of the present type may be constructed in very large sizes, say of 1,000 to 1,500 gross tons, it is preferred to provide landing gear of the caterpillar type, as conventionally indicated at l1, 18 in Figure 5, so as to distribute the weight of the craft over a relatively large .ground area.

As best seen in Figures 3, 4, and 6 each lateral tip portion ll, i6 is provided with a plurality of passages or tunnels I9, 20 extending from front to rear, the tunnels 20 being somewhat shorter than the tunnels is. In the illustrated embodiment, each lateral tip is provided with four tunnels arranged at two levels, but the number may be varied.

Pivotally supported in alignment with the rear end of each tunnel 18, 20 is a lifting airfoil 2| 7 having any suitable aerodynamic section adapted for the purpose, and means (not shown) are provided for varying the angle of attack of the airfoils 2!. If desired, the airfoils 2i may be slotted and blower means 22 may be provided for continuously removing the boundary-layer of air from the airfoils 2| in order to improve their co- It will be observed that the tunnels l9 and 20 are flattened and transversely elongated in their rearward portions so that the rearward orifice of each tunnel is approximately the same width as the associated airfoil 2i, and of somewhat greater vertical dimensions than said airfoil.

Extending from front to rear through the central portion of the body Hi, there are provided a pluralityof passages or tunnels 23, each of which is provided at its rearward end with a lifting Iairfoil 2|, and a further pair of tunnels 24 with 7 vided with one or more propellers 21, adapted to be driven by internal combustion engines (not the longitudinal axis of the body adjacent the rearward edge thereof. In thismanner, one ofthe gyro-stabilizers 28 is disposed adjacent each portion of the body l0 at which a maximum lifting The gyro-stabilizers 28 are supeffect occurs. ported for rotation about vertical axes, and conventional means (not shown) are provided for tilting their respective spindles in order to direct the craft upwardly or downwardly during forward flight, thus eliminating the necessity forthe usual elevators. 'I'he gyro-stabilizers also serve the purpose of ensuring that the craft will be maintained on an even keel during ascent and descent. Preferably, for purposes of level flight, the stabilizers are mounted with their rotors at the same level.

As is well known, aircraft of the heavier-thanair type are enabled to rise and remain in the air due to the lift exerted on the airfoils or wings thereof by the suction or vacuum created by the rearward flow of air thereover. In an aeroplane of conventional type, this lifting effect is created by the forward'movement of the plane which, at

take off, may create a flowof air over the wings at a speed of to 100 miles per hour, but hardly any greater than the latter figure. According to the present invention, the rearwardiy directed air streams passing over the airfoils 2! may have speeds up to 300 miles per hour or greater, thus vastly increasing-the lifting effect. Also, since the airfoils 2| may be set at any angle relative to the body of the craft, they may be disposed at the optimum angle of attack, for example, in the neighborhood of 18", whereas the wings of a conventional aeroplane may not be so adjusted. Due to these factors, and to the removal of the boundary layer by the means previously. de-

'and weight.

scribed, the lifting forces exerted upon the airfoils 2| may be maderelatively tremendous so that the comparatively small lifting airfoil surfaces may be made to exert sufflcient'lift to cause the ascent of an thus counterbalancing the forward thrust upon a the other propellers. It will be appreciated that a lesser number of propellers directed forwardly is required, since the forward thrust upon the rearwardly directed propellers is partially counterbalanced by the rearward thrust exerted by the several air streams upon the lifting airfoils 2|.

After the desired altitude is reached, the propellers in the tunnels 24 are reversed or directed rearwardly, and the airfoils 2| are adjusted for level flight by diminishing their angle of attack.

aircraft of relatively great size In forward flight, lateral angularity or yaw may be controlled by adjusting the speeds of the respective propellers, and the leading edge ofthe craft may be elevated or depressed by means of the gyro-stabilizers as described above. Rotation of the plane about its longitudinal axis, i. e. bank, may be controlled by adjustments of the airfoils 21 at the respective lateral tips i and I6 of the craft. Thus all necessity for rudders,- elevators, and ailerons is eliminated.

Upondescent, the lifting airfoils 2! are again adjusted to the optimum angle, and the propellers in the tunnels 24 are reversed, whereby a vertical descent may be obtained. In ascending and descending, rotation or spinning of the craft about its vertical axis is prevented by properly adjusting the speeds of the respective air streams.

It is estimated that a craft constructed in accordance with the present invention, and having a gross weight of 1,500 tons (approximately fifteen times as large as the largest conventional aeroplanes now in service) will have a pay-load capacity of at least 400 tons and, powered by through said passages having in the paths of the air streams through the associated passages, said propelling means being constructed. and arranged to force air rearwardly air foils associated therewith, and to force air forwardly through the other passages upon take-off and landing.

2. In aircraft of the heavier-than-air type, a body portion having the general contour of a lifting airfoil, and having a central portion and lateral tips, the central portion of said body having a relatively great longitudinal dimension and said lateral tips having a relatively small longitudinal dimension and being disposed adjacent the forward edge of said body, a plurality of passages extending from front to rear of each said lateral tip, adjustable lifting airfoils secured in alignment with the rearward portion of each said passage, means in each said passage for propelling a stream of air rearwardly through said passage and over said airfoil, a plurality of passages extending from front to rear through said central body portion, and propelling means in each of said last-mentioned passages, certwenty motors of 2,500 H. P. each, will have a ceiling of 40,000 feet and a forward speed, at that altitude, of approximately 300 miles per hour. It is, of course, understood that, if desired, and for the purpose of increasing the lift of the craft during forward flight, the boundary layer of air may be removed from the entire body of the craft by means of suction in the conventional manner.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In aircraft of the heavier-than-air type, a body portion having the general contour of a lifting airfoil and having a plurality of spaced passages extending therethrough from front to rear, means in each said passage for propelling a stream of air therethrough, and adjustable lifting airfoils disposed immediately behind the rearward ends of ce in of said passages and lying tain of said propelling means being constructed and arranged to force air forwardly through the associated passages upon take-off and landing.

3. In aircraft of the heavier-than-air type, a body portion having the general contour of a lifting airfoil and having a plurality of spaced passages extending therethrough from front to rear, means in said passages for propelling stream of air rearwardly therethrough, adjustable lifting airfoils disposed immediately behind the rearward ends of said passages and lying in paths of said air stream, and means for counteracting the forward thrust on said aircraft resulting from the reaction of the air on said propelling means.

4. Aircraftas defined in claim 3, said passages being cylindrical throughout the forward portions thereof, and being flattened and transversely elongated toward their rearward ends.

1 JAMES E. McDEVITT. 

